Thursday, November 3, 2011

A British subject

Grandstand Ahad, Astro Arena's weekend live show hosted by Burn AF1 and yours truly, last week had the privilege of interviewing UK-based cricketer Arul Suppiah.

The all-rounder, who bowls with his left-hand but bats with his right, has grown into a handsome young man and a cricket star in his own right!

He is now a British subject. Read here. Earlier in July, Arul became a world-record holder, read here

This means he would never represent Malaysia again! But really, an athlete of his calibre would not do justice to his talent if he were to restrict himself to opportunities in Malaysia. His options were limited and why deprive him the chance to really make a living and a career out of his talent?

When I asked him on the show, how did he cope flying the nest so early in his life, he confessed he cried everyday for months. But that's all in the past.

It was in August 1998 that I last wrote about Arul...when I quoted SportExcel director Teng Mui Ngee on Arul's selection to represent England's Under-15 team in three Test matches against India.

About Me

Freelance journo, self-proclaimed football expert, sports critic. Used to be on the payroll of Berita Harian and the Malay Mail. Byline has appeared in Berita Harian, Harian Metro, New Straits Times, Malay Mail, Kosmo, Footballasia, France Football, Agence France Presse. Malaysian Press Institute's Sportswriter of the Year 2005 (English category), Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2007-Sportswriters Association of Malaysia contest Grand Prize winner. Former Sportswriters Association of Malaysia secretary, has completed the Grand Slam - having covered the SEA Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. Editor of the now defunct football weekly pullout with Kosmo, Rembat, which loosely means "Kick" and host of Malaysia's first hard-talk show on sports - Dengan Izin (If I may). Jury of FIFA Ballon d'Or since 2010. Currently columnist for FourFourTwo Malaysia and editor of Arena E Mag, the digital magazine published by Astro Digital Publications Sdn Bhd

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Disclaimer

The content of this blog is provided for information purposes only. The views expressed in the comments section do not necessarily reflect those of the blog author. Nevertheless, as we move towards becoming a fully developed nation, let us be tolerant to dissenting views. After all, it's only sports. Majulah sukan untuk negara.